The Fourth Pupil
by MalevtheMC
Summary: When Solis summons the keyblade with aid from Terra, his dismal life on Earth is changed forever. After receiving word from Master Eraqus that his control of darkness is unmatched, Solis embarks on the journey to bring equilibrium to the balance of light and dark. Reviews are greatly appreciated! Rated M for language and a certain constant edgy teenager...
1. The Beginning

"Get the fuck out of here!" A middle-aged, gray haired woman laid her feet up on a dirty, wooden table. She scowled at her son while taking alarmingly large swigs of a heavy pint of liquor. "Go and git' ya little fucker, and don't come back!" She had a quick chuckle, before exploding into a whooping cough.

The receiver of the insult simply shrugged and strolled away from the kitchen to the back door, holding a sense of neutrality on his face. With an almost elegant stride into the mildewed porch leading to freedom, the boy replied with a cold sneer, voice unwavering, "I bet you wouldn't care if I came back anyway, bitch…" His cold accusation might have given him regrets the first few times something like this happened; at this point, he really didn't give two shits.

His house was trashy, and he would be the first to admit it. The details were blurry to him, and from what he had remembered, his father met his untimely end over a decade ago. The life insurance policy his mother collected totaled to around fifty grand. In an attempt to get away from the the suffering and dread of the mere reminiscence of it, she decided to take him and move to to a more rural location. The house she had purchased was claimed as a countryside two bedroom house, containing a single bathroom. It was normal, considering they lived in a small, southeastern Ohio village. The house had a unexpressive beige coloring, possessing a rather unappealing exterior view; some of the windows were smashed and the walls were covered in vines and moss.

As he stepped out of the gloomy environment, the boy quickly slammed the rusty screen door leading to the green, mildewed porch. Half of the door snapped off its hinges with a sharp crackle. He hadn't really meant to damage anything, he simply wanted to leave a lasting effect.

He opened his porch door leading to his backyard, and ultimately a nearby woods. He smiled at the thought of a location where he could feel sorry for himself in solitude.

"YOU BETTER GET BACK IN HERE AND FIX THIS GODDAMN DOOR YOU LITTLE SHIT." The boy quickly snapped out of his imagination at the sound of the shout, giving an irritated sigh. He pushed open his porch door and sprinted into the vast darkness.

Bolting in the pale moonlight, he slowed to a jog when he realized he was already far out of his mother's sight. After a minute or two of jogging, his pace slowed once again. This time to a walk as he grew closer to his destination.

The boy allowed himself to momentarily discontinue his trek as he came to the edge of his oasis. The evergreen trees of the forest were uninviting and dark, but that wasn't going to stop him from venturing through the trees to his treasured spot. A cruel smirk crept onto his face as he realized the irony of the situation. _Only I would enjoy going from a dark place into a darker place._ The boy slowly shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. Facing the sky, eyes closed, he basked in the midnight air.

Eventually, a slight shiver pervaded his skin and broke his peace. _I really shouldn't have left in a T-shirt and shorts, it's cold as hell out here._ His short lived solace quickly transformed back into irritation, as he brought himself back down to Earth.

He continued his journey to isolation as he excitedly took a couple steps and was enveloped by the darkness of the forest.

Spotting a small path of sticks he had laid out to be able to find his solace, he followed it until he reached his destination. As he spotted the familiar glow of the moon through the trees, his brain wanted to jump in satisfaction as his knees carried him to where he needed to go.

The boy felt as if his entire body glowed with radiance. He pushed a section of frail bush away to reveal the spot his mind so desperately needed. Wanting to make everything perfect for his spot, the boy made a mental note to get rid of that bush the next morning. He stepped onto the ground of the location, and his mind seemed to clear, as it always had.

It was a small location, only about ten square feet in total. It was a section of flat ground, with a large, grey rock in the very center. The ground gave way to a peaceful decline into shore. He understood that the physical sight was nothing overly special, in fact, it was somewhat normal, but he couldn't place the reason why it brought him so much peace. Frankly, he really didn't care. He looked up at the sky once again, and closed his eyes.

He began reminiscing about the first time he had visited this place.

Not yet a teenager, he was around twelve or so going into his first year of middle school. Around the second week, a kid named Jerry asked if he wanted to hang with him. The boy found it strange to be so open to other people. He was going to refuse, but the realization had struck him, there was a new way to prevent him seeing his mother. He instantly accepted, and later regretted it.

Recalling the events that occurred next made the boy shiver, and not because of the chilled air.

They hung out, and eventually, the boy stayed the night at Jerry's house, and he had a decent experience, but exaggerated it, putting on a facade of having a blast to influence his new friend to allow him to return. Early the next morning, they packed their bags and ventured off to school together. School was school, it wasn't too bad. It was better than home at least.

 _It still is, I guess_

After school, they returned to Jerry's house, and after eating dinner, the boy was told to go home, they couldn't harbor him forever. Hesitating running away, the boy took to his survival instincts and returned to his mother's less than humble abode. When he returned, the boy's mother had some choice words for him. As always, the boy talked back. This time, it was the wrong decision. His mother went into her room and grabbed something woodlike.

 _I still don't know what that woodlike thing was. It doesn't matter anyway, it hurt like hell anyway._ The boy had a smirk on his face, recalling the pain he had once suffered. He was simply relieved that it was the past, and that nobody could hurt him where he lay. He plopped down, laying his hands behind his head on the refreshing, naturally short grass; staring out at the beautiful, calm water, he began to feel envious of its indifference.

After stumbling out of his mother's house in tears and a heap of bruises, cuts, and blood, the boy ran, an intent to never return. He sprinted until his legs gave out and he broke down onto his knees sobbing. His frustrations were known to himself, and nobody could help him. He pondered what he could do to get out of his life. He mused over the thought of suicide, but he convinced himself he was too much of a bitch to go through with it. Pulling himself together, the boy got to his feet and looked around. He saw nothing but trees and darkness. Somehow, he felt happy to be in this cold, dark place. Scanning around more, he spotted a body of water and crossed over to it. He happened to reach a place that he could be safe in. The area was guarded by trees, there was a bright moon to deter intruders, and there was a rock he could lie his head on. The second he laid down on the grass, his mouth curled into a perfect smile. He rested for awhile, somehow completely devoid of thinking. It was strange, considering the events that had recently occurred, but he didn't question it. He drifted off into an almost meditative state as he was completely overtaken by the events of the past few days.

In a moment similar to his flashback, he felt exhausted. He was close to falling asleep, but he wanted to savor the moment. However, his eyes were drooping, his body was going into autopilot, and he drifted off as planned.

The boy awoke with a aching headache. He swore he heard some sort of faint engine roaring in the distance. He assumed the engine was a ruse created by his brain.

He was probably just dreaming as soon as he woke up, giving his mind the illusion of lucidity. Either way, it was still early, and he was already awake.

Maybe he would sneak back into his room without waking his mom. She might think she was drunk and he hadn't actually left at all. His back was stiff, and as he sat up, he used his knees as leverage. He groaned as some joints in his neck popped, it was always a 50/50 chance; when his joints popped it either satisfied or ached. This time, it was the latter.

All of the sudden, the bush he had forgotten to tear out began to rustle. The sound didn't appear large enough to be a bear, and too small to be a squirrel. The boy decided to go through the bush and see what the perpetrator happened to be. As he walked slowly to the bush, he let out a barking yawn, showing the lack of fear in the situation.

In hearing the boy's presence, the creature abruptly stopped its annoyance, and retreated a few feet. He felt a small adrenaline rush, he was gonna chase the culprit and possibly get himself a free meal.

"You're mine!" He shouted, sprinting toward the distant noise.

As he pushed through the bush, the boy spotted a creature unlike any he had seen.

The sight of the creature unnerved him, making him recoil slightly. This being wasn't too large, maybe the size of a small dog, but the size wasn't the unnaturality. It was a solid shade of indigo throughout, with a thin, curved torso, and even thinner limbs. Its eyes were bright red, with a constant, sneering slant. Two long, lightning shaped antennae were attached to its skull, and the sight of it really _pissed_ him off.

The _thing_ was about fifteen feet away from him, twitching violently like a madman. He had an overwhelming urge to stomp the creature into the cold grass so it would stop gazing in his direction.

He had made his decision, he was going to _pulverize_ it. "Hey buddy." He whispered to the creature, and it stared at him innocently. He put his hands on his knees, bent over, and motioned his hands to attract it. He needed a name for it. _It's going to be called 'faggot bitch'_. He grinned at his creativity, trying to suppress a chuckle.

"Come here faggot bitch." He snickered at his comment, but the faggot bitch didn't seem to care, as it approached him, happily.

As the faggot bitch stared up at him, the boy left his stance, and stood tall and intimidating. He could relieve his anger this way. He lifted his foot, and stomped straight on the faggot bitch's head.

To his surprise, the faggot bitch didn't even flinch, and when the boy lifted his foot to observe the creature, it pounced onto his chest and he fell to the ground.

He realized he had made a grave mistake, as the creature's strength was not as lacking as it had appeared. It lifted its frail limbs and repeatedly sliced at his chest. The boy cried in pain as it was now cruelly revealed to him that the being's arms were as sharp as knives. He used all his might to pry the purple menace off of his body, but the ravenous monster didn't even budge an inch. The creature reeled back and prepared to cut the boy's throat, and his fate seemed to be sealed.

 _If I die here, what will I tell people in the afterlife? "Oh, yeah, I got killed by a fucking faggot bitch."_ He mused, grinning up at the creature that would eventually be his downfall. He let out a chuckle, a horrendous scene, only seen in movies.

The creature crossed its arms, both appendages planning to reach its target at two angles like a pendulum swing.

Before it could happen, a blade pierced the creature, causing it to explode and evaporate in a cloud of black smoke.

"What?" He questioned, eyes wide in disbelief as residue of the creature landed on his chest.

He quickly flicked his head to the side of where the blade emerged from, and he spotted a hand, offering help to his feet. He took it.

He was quickly pulled to his feet, and observed his new acquaintance.

The man was rather muscular, with deep blue eyes, and brown, naturally spiky hair. This guy had a couple years on him, mostly shown by the difference in height. The most defining feature of him, however, was his choice of weapon. The blade had a grey handle and a round guard, which he felt was colored an unpleasant shade of blue. The shaft of the blade was dark brown with an exterior outline of a brass color, accentuating its sharpness. The puzzling part was that it had two teeth extruding out of the top of the shaft. Both of the teeth were in the shape of hammers, the highest one larger than the lower one. To top it off, there was a brown chain connected to the bottom of the guard.

He looked at the man with a slight scowl, getting a similar response in return.

Now standing, the boy stumbled, slightly disorientated. He steadied himself quickly and regained his calm composure. "You alright?" The man asked.

The boy replied with a small nod, "Yeah, I'm fine." He was never too versed in meeting new people, but he could suffice. "What... what's your name?"

The man laid his back to a tree, still focused on the boy. "I'm Terra, what's _your_ name?"

"Terra, huh?" The boy mused. His eyebrows slanted slightly at the name. He knew that Terra translated to 'earth' in Latin. He didn't want to give his real name, so he used Terra's name and gave himself a similar alias. He told the man, "My name is Solis." It was the translation for 'sun' in Latin. It was difficult to suppress himself from letting a grin creep across his face.

Pushing off the tree, Terra went right to business, ditching the small talk. "Ok, Solis, I'm looking for someone. Ever heard of a man named Xehanort?" He asked, shifting his body away from Solis slightly, trying to intimidate the smaller kid the least he possibly could.

Solis wouldn't have cowered if Terra was ten feet tall weighing five hundred pounds. After what he had experienced, fear was no longer in his vocabulary. He ground some type of insect under his foot, as he replied, positively certain, "Nope, I don't think I have." He was inspecting Terra's aura; it gave him a familiar feeling, he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Alright, you should probably go home, the Unversed will be…" Terra squinted behind the boy, looking at something. Solis wasn't going to avert his gaze though, in case his new 'friend' was trying to trick him. "Behind you!" Terra shouted, summoning his keyblade.

In an instant, Solis's instincts took over, as he sensed an attacker from behind. In a quick movement, he turned around to push his assailant away. He knew if it was another one of those creatures, he would not be able to defeat it.

Sticking his hand out to block the assailant, he stood in awe as there was a flash of pitch black, and the creature dissipated into the air.

In his hand stood a blade. It was similar to Terra's in its premise. The guard was comprised of two sharp, sickle shaped pieces of metal extending down in a circular position, but not enclosing the grip. The craftsmanship was superb, as the guard had enough space to move the hands freely, but easily protect them from any damage coming their way. There were two small horn shaped pieces of the guard protruding upwards from the quillon, curling into a snarl, staring back menacingly. The blade was pitch black, with an extreme curl at the central ridge, extending to the right, and then circling around a space where a natural blade would have a point.

The blade should have been very heavy, but it was weightless in his hand, the grip was somehow chilled and burning at the same time, cancelling each other out to room temperature. Solis stared up at Terra, who had his back arched to gape at the sight, lips curling into a grin.

"A… A Keyblade!?" Terra shouted, a mix of disbelief and questioning on his face. "If you had that, why didn't you use it against that Flood?"

On the interior, Solis was just as surprised as Terra, he had never possessed the weapon he was holding ever before. However, he shrugged it off to justify his calm exterior. He rolled his eyes and explained his thoughts to Terra, "First off, I have no idea what a _Flood_ is, but I will assume it was that creature you killed. Second, I'm not retarded, if I knew I had this, I would have used it on the fucker." Solis realized he was getting fed up, and he calmed his irritated demeanor, regressing to a more normal tone. "Apparently, you seem to know what this sword is, would you mind filling in the blanks?"

"It's pretty strong and unlocks stuff." Terra didn't want to tell him how special he was to have one. "It chooses its wielder, and apparently, you are the lucky one." Terra walked over to Solis, put his hand on the boy's keyblade, and yanked it out of his hand.

"What the hell are you doing? Give that back!" Solis shouted, trying to grab the keyblade, Terra sticking a single hand out to hold him back. Solis wasn't a fan of seeming vulnerable, so he allowed Terra to follow through in whatever he was doing.

Terra walked over to a spot where the lake was visible and chucked the keyblade with immense strength far into the endless water.

Solis questioned Terra's actions in anger, but his anger turned to confusion as he felt an urge to lift his right arm to chest level. "Open your hand, and mentally command it to return." Terra told the boy.

He wasn't a fan of people ordering him, making him retain his previous irritation. With a glare, Solis did what the man said. With a quick flash of darkness, the Keyblade returned to his hand. Solis huffed through his nose and admitted, "Damn, that's actually cool as hell." However, he still didn't understand the point of the situation. "What am I supposed to do with this, though?"

"Can you take me to your house? I need to talk to one of your parents." Terra asked simply, avoiding Solis's demand for answers.

The smaller boy's eyebrows slanted in irritation that Terra had intentionally changed the subject. However much he hated her, he didn't want his mother to be dragged into whatever was happening. "I have no family, they were killed when I was still a kid. " Solis claimed. He knew he hit the mark, his most polished skill was that of lying. Technically, he was only half lying, his dad perished in a rather impolite way when he was seven. He assumed that was the answer Terra was looking for, as his eyes lit up in success.

"You need to come with me to speak with my master. We can't let a new keyblade wielder be corrupted by darkness." Terra shifted uncomfortably, getting ready to capture the boy if he refused. "He can explain everything to you."

Solis turned around and stared at his surroundings. He remembered his village, his mother, and his school. He had no chance to become anything here.

 _Would I really miss it here?_

Solis instantly decided that he wouldn't, and everyone else would reciprocate the same feelings, given that they even realize he was gone.

After not receiving an answer, Terra attempted to assure the teen, saying, "I understand if you have doubts, I would too. If you have anyone you want to talk t-"

"I'll do it." Solis finally answered, features seemingly bored. He knew that he wouldn't regret his decision, there was nothing here anyway.

Terra's brow furrowed in hesitation. "You really won't miss it here?"

"Doubt it. It's hard to miss something that brought nothing but distaste." Solis's gaze went up to Terra's face, both people showing the same unwavering, emotionless features while thinking things over in their mind.

"Fair enough." Terra was thinking something over, and Solis was fine in giving him a second. "Did… did you know there were worlds out there, besides your own?"

Solis's eyes rolled, did Terra think he was a baby or something? "Yes, Mercury, Venus, my world Earth, Mars, Jup-"

"So you don't know." Terra let out a sigh, this was not going to be easy. It took him hours upon hours for Ven to understand this concept. "Those worlds are simply a false human construct. You see, the leader, or in this case, government of every world are in agreement not to enclose the truth of other worlds. They describe these false concepts of planets to the people in a way to make them sound uninhabitable, deterring whatever determination the people had to explore. People take what their governments say as fact because they have never actually seen the other worlds with their own two eyes." Terra cleared his throat, hoping his new friend understood at least a portion of what he was saying. "People look for someone to guide them, rather than take their own path. It's nature." He gave Solis an assuring smile, not receiving one in return. Most people he knew had trusted him from the start, he wondered why this kid was an exception. He pointed up to the early morning sky. "See the stars up there? They aren't balls of gas, that doesn't actually make any sense.

Solis nodded his head in understanding, Terra's explanation made much more sense than the common knowledge that everyone seemed to have. "So, you live on a different planet?" He asked, hoping he was going to have the chance to see other worlds.

"Yes, it's called _The Land of Departure,_ and that's where I train with my master, and his other apprentices, who happen to be my best friends."

Solis's face beamed in excitement, his cold exterior melting away for an instant, before reeling himself back to shore. He put his straight face back on, and replied, "I trust you for now, Terra." He had a look in his eye that beamed seriousness. "But, if you deceive me in any way, let's just say, only one of us will be left standing." Solis understood everything Terra had said, and attempted to show it.

Terra, however, felt contrary, and assumed the boy was acting on ignorance rather than determination. "I can turn my blade into a glider that will get us between worlds, and you might wanna be careful. Without armor, the darkness might put a strain on your body." Terra gave him a moment to muse the information. "You still in?" He asked.

Solis was truly excited for something for the first time in awhile. "Yeah, man." _Let's escape this hellhole._

Terra nodded, and they were on their way to the Land of Departure.


	2. Controlled Chaos

Solis thought that space would be more colorful, full of light. On the contrary, it was nothing, nothing, and more nothing. Darkness shrouded the universe around him, and he would feel alone if not for the large man on the zooming glider with him.

There was a contemplative silence between the two males; both of them were wondering how the people would react at the Land of Departure. When the ride came to a conclusion in around five minutes, Solis was stunned at the speed of the glider.

In the near distance, there was a planet with two distinct halves. One half was a fairly large building with four different upper rooms connected to the main building, the outer two room connected to the inner rooms unorthodox-like with a single bridge somehow defying gravity to keep the rooms elevated high into the air. The other half of the world was a simple mix of bodies of water, forests, and mountains.

As the two males landed close to the stairs leading to the large building, Terra transformed his glider back into his keyblade and dismissed his armor. Looking back at Solis, he said, "Hey, you're unscathed… that's strange. Usually people are incapacitated traveling that far without any protection." He brushed it off, "Ah, you'll probably feel it later."

Solis simply shrugged while wondering, "What do you want me to do here?"

"I need you to talk to my master. Stay here, I'll go in and fill him in on the situation." Terra responded.

With that answer, Terra jogged into his home, and Solis pulled out his earbuds and began listening to metal on his phone. He was never really a fan of any other genre than metal.

Hearing a muffled 'Thump', Solis looked up toward the door and saw a blonde kid about his height running at him fast. On instinct, Solis summoned his keyblade and readied himself for a fight.

"WHOA!" The kid stopped in his tracks about ten feet from Solis. "Sorry, I'm not gonna hurt you!" The blonde put his hands out in a pacifist stance and Solis dismissed his keyblade.

Solis slipped his earbuds out of his ears and into his pocket. "Yo" He said.

"HI! I'm Ventus, but you can call me Ven" Ventus stated. "What's your name?"

Solis felt a headache coming on already, this kid was way too excited to meet _him_ of all people. "Ok, Ventus. I'm Solis." Ventus bounced a little with too much energy.

"Do you have a keyblade too?" Ventus asked.

Solis sighed. "Apparently so." He answered, putting one hand out in front of him.

Solis calmly summoned his dark keyblade and Ventus's jaw hit the floor. Solis rolled his eyes.

"Your keyblade…" Ventus continued to gape.

Solis prepared for criticism, Ventus seemed to be very radiant, the opposite of what he and his keyblade represented.

"It's SO COOL!" Ventus bounced around a little more, "Are you any good at fighting?" he asked.

"I've had this thing for probably an hour, so likely not." Solis understood that practice made perfect, and he had never even practiced yet. "But I have taken hand to hand combat classes, if that counts."

"Oh, wanna spar anyway?"

Solis was getting annoyed, "Why are you so energetic? It's kinda pissing me off."

Ven didn't pay any attention to the harsh words, "I want to become a keyblade master like my friend, Aqua!" Ven seemed to droop a little. "Terra does too." He said.

"Why isn't Terra a master?" Solis realized that the question might have been sensitive to him, but he had never really cared about other people's feelings.

Ventus filled Solis in on everything about the Mark of Mastery test and that to become a master, one must complete it. Only a master or previous master could initiate a Mark of Mastery exam and they would pick worthy tests for the testee to complete.

"Terra couldn't keep his darkness in, and Aqua beat him I guess." Ven perked up again. "But that means me and Terra can both become masters at the same time!"

As annoying as he seemed to be, Ventus looked like an alright guy.

Solis responded to Ventus's earlier question, "Maybe we can spar later, I do need to see how I stack up against experienced wielders. But apparently I have to talk to 'Master Eraqus' first."

Solis put his earbuds back in and laid in the grass, turning his music back on. He could still hear slightly with his music playing. Ventus said, "Oh, ok. I'm gonna go back inside now, if you wanna fight or something we can! I'll see you later, Solis!"

Solis put his hand up with a wave and Ventus returned to his room.

He felt content here, just like he did when he was in his old spot. He sat down and focused on the music. The song was called "Stupify", and the band was like "Disturbing" or something like that. The lyrics were strange, but the instrumental was superb.

 _I've been waiting my whole life for just one fuck_

 _And all I needed was just one fuck_

 _How can you say that you don't give a fuck_

 _I find myself stupified, coming back again_

 _All I wanted was just one fuck_

 _One tiny little innocent fuck_

 _And when I feel like I'm shit out of luck_

 _I find myself stupified, coming back aga-_

"Solis, get up."

Solis reopened his eyes, bummed that the music was now being interrupted. Terra was standing over him with a hand extended. Solis took the hand and was lifted up to his feet. He took his earbuds and put them into his pocket. He looked back up at Terra and nodded.

Terra took this as 'what do you want?' type of thing and answered, "Master Eraqus would like to meet you, he needs to see who you are." Terra pointed to the main building. "He's right in there, you can't miss him."

"Gotcha." Solis pushed off the ground and made his way up the grand staircase.

 _Goddamn, Terra! If only I lived in a place like this._

Solis found the large door and knocked. He was hoping that 'Master Eraqus' wasn't just a cranky old man.

"Please, enter." A voice calmly stated. The voice was a mix of wisdom and a little bit of youth still packed in there. Whoever owned the voice was old, but not too old.

Solis opened the door and was greeted by a black haired man. He had a bang of hair hanging off the right side of his face. There were a few scars, but they were extremely pronounced and seemed to be inflicted by a blade.

 _Something about this man is really strange_. Solis's eyes slightly burned from simply looking at the older guy. "I assume you are Master Eraqus?"

"And your assumption would be correct." The man sternly replied. "Come, we can seek a more comfortable abode."

They walked silently to a dining room, the room wasn't extravagant as the exterior of the castle, but it was definitely nice. Solis and Eraqus sat on opposite sides of the table, as if in a conference room.

"Solis, the weapon you possess was not given to you by random." Eraqus returned to the subject at hand. "The keyblade seeks out those with the strongest hearts with the task of preserving the balance of light and dark. With my duty as a master, I cannot let your ability fall in the wrong hands; some people have it in them to deceive even a confused boy such as yourself."

Solis noticed that Eraqus was attempting to make him feel less mature, maybe even needy. He was fifteen, yet everyone called him a boy… he didn't understand it. "How do I know that you aren't the one deceiving me? I'm hearing that 'some people' have it in them to trick me. How can I know you aren't 'some people?'" Solis crossed his arms in a defiant stance.

"I guess with a strong heart always comes stubbornness." Eraqus shook his head. He placed a hand on Solis's shoulder, and Solis pushed it off. "Forgive me, it's a habit when talking to my apprentices."

"Answer my question." Solis understood that Eraqus was trying to change the subject.

Eraqus grinned, either amused or content with his new acquaintance. "I cannot make you realize that I am not committing a malicious act, but it seems you have met two of my pupils. Maybe they can convince you."

The teen was becoming irritated, "Why did Terra bring me here instead of just telling me what you said?"

"I would like to propose an opportunity." Eraqus sat up straight and Solis inadvertently did the same. "Terra told me you were a nomad, alone on a faraway planet. Is this true?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well," Eraqus continued, "Since you have no immediate family to miss, I am requesting that you stay here and train under me. I can tell that you have potential. Your ability to analyze your situation tells me that. You seem to have a high concentration of darkness within you." Solis frowned, he took it as an insult. "However, the darkness inside you is strongly composed, more so than any keyblade wielder I've ever seen, including myself. If we… if there was a way to fill you with an equal amount of light, you could be exactly what we need to balance the worlds."

Solis stared into space. He took all the information in, and concluded sarcastically, "So, you're planning to make me a wielder that handles both light and darkness. And I'm going to make everything happy and perfect in the universe." Solis rolled his eyes, "Too bad I have literally no idea what you're talking about with the darkness and light stuff. I'm not a religious person, so if you plan o-"

Master Eraqus then proceeded to shoot a bolt of light out of his hands for it to diminish before it reached a wall.

"Oh" Solis was dumbstruck. "That was cool as hell! I'm definitely in!"

Eraqus let a smile reach across his face. "Thanks for your cooperation. We had a guest room, but now it can be yours." He stood up and motioned for Solis to follow him.

Solis did as was told, and followed Eraqus to the hallway until they stopped at a room with a wooden door.

Eraqus seemed to hesitate before turning to Solis. "Now, Solis. This room isn't anything over the top special. Forgive me if it does not meet your expectations." With that comment, Eraqus opened the door and stepped in.

Solis entered the room and slightly grinned. Eraqus was correct, the room wasn't too special, but his home on Earth was insect infested with broken windows. He really couldn't complain.

In one corner, there was a bed with a nightstand next to it, and an empty wooden dresser in the adjacent corner. The room was very neat and had palladian blue walls and a light beige carpet. Again, it was simple, but Solis liked simple.

"I really appreciate this, sir. Truly." Solis couldn't keep the grin off his face.

Eraqus nodded, "We will provide you with some new clothes until you are ready to purchase your own." Eraqus grinned slightly.

Solis felt ashamed that he didn't like the man earlier. Eraqus had given him an opportunity to really be something, and he wasn't going to waste it. "Thanks Eraqus, if you need help with anything, let me know. I'm more than capable."

Eraqus nodded again. "We will begin training tomorrow. You've met my other pupil, Ventus. Maybe you can get some pointers from him."

"Yes, sir."

"And would you mind censoring your language around Ventus? He picks up on habits very quickly."

"Yes, sir." Although he didn't want to, Solis would try not to swear around Ventus.

Eraqus chuckled. "There's no need to be so formal, Solis."

"Yes, sir" Solis facepalmed, he was acting braindead. "I mean, thanks, Master Eraqus."

Eraqus nodded, turned, and walked away.

Solis did the same, but into his new room. He flopped onto his new bed in exhaustion.

 _This is going to be interesting..._


End file.
